Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	david_n	death_n	saul_n	1,009	5	9.4042	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45340	Samaria's downfall, or, A commentary (by way of supplement) on the five last verses of the thirteenth chapter of Hosea wherein is set forth, Ephraim's dignity, duty, impenitency, and downfall : very suitable to, and seasonable for, these present times, where you have the text explained, sundry cases of conscience cleared, many practical observations raised (with references to such authors as clear any point more fully) : and a synopsis or brief character of the twenty kings of Israel, with some useful inferences from them / by Thomas Hall ...	Hall, Thomas, 1610-1665.	1660 (1660)	Wing H440; ESTC R18060	150,640	184

wee are cut off Yea the Prophet himself staggered and was non-plust verse 3. the Lord asked him Son of man can these bones live Is it possible that ever such dry bones should live again The Prophet answers Lord thou knowest q. d. it passeth my apprehension to conceive how this should bee I know not how it should bee effected but Lord thou knowest what thou hast to do and to thee nothing thing is impossible This the Lord doth in his wisdome to out us of our selves and all creature-confidences that in an holy desperation wee may say with repenting Israel Ashur shall Not save us neither will wee ride upon horses nor say any more to the work of our hands Yee are our gods for with thee the fatherless finde mercy Hos. 14. 3. 6 Obs. God in his due time will deliver his people out of the deepest distress Hee is Omnipotent hee can and will redeem Israel not out of one or two but out of all his troubles Psal. 25. ult Art thou weak Hee can strengthen thee Art thou sick Hee can heal thee Art thou dark Hee can insighten thee Art thou dead Hee can inliven thee Hast thou lain in thy grave till thou stinkest again so did Lazarus Hast thou lain till thou art rotten so did Israel in their Babylonish Captivity and yet were restored Ezek. 37. 11 12. So in desertions wee are apt to bee despondent when wee walk in darkness and can see no light neither Sun-light nor Moon-light neither Star-light nor Candle-light but are like unto dry bones in a Sepulchre without life without spirit without strength without comfort and see no way of deliverance Aye but now is a time to live by faith and not by sense Isa. 40. 27 28 29 30 31 and 50. 10. Such is our weakness that wee are apt to limit the holy one of Israel and to think that hee can help us in lesser trials and bring us out of petty crosses but when some fluctus decumanus some great waves of Tentation come then wee are apt to question Gods power and promises and to say with David I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27. 1. Wee are apt to say with Martha If Christ had come a little sooner hee might have raised Lazarus but now saith she he stinks and is past help Ioh. 11. 39. Aye but it is the better for that for now Christs power will bee the more manifested and his Father the more glorified The more grievous thy disease the greater will the praise of thy Physitian bee in thy cure and wee shall love much when wee see how much is forgiven and therefore David makes it an argument to move the Lord to pitty him because his sins were great Psal. 25 11. Remember it is Gods usual course to let men bee dead and buried as it were in misery and to bring things to extremity and then appear Gen. 22. 14. Psal. 461. when trouble comes then hee comes too Wee read of three persons that Christ raised from the dead One was dead but not carried out Ma●k 5. 41 A second was dead and carried out Luke 7. 14. A third was dead carried out buried and lay till hee stunk in his grave and that was Lazarus Christ speaks but the word Lazarus come forth and hee lives God is never nearer to his people than when to a carnal eye hee seems furthest off As wee see in the three young men that were cast into a fiery Furnace and Daniel into the Lions den Sense and carnal reason would have said God had now forsaken them and there was no help yet even then did they finde the greatest help so good it is to trust in God 7 Obs. Death in it self is a formidable enemy and considered as a curse due to impenitent sinners it is very terrible even the terriblest of all terribles as Aristotle calls it It is armed with stings and plagues and is therefore called an Enemy 1 Cor. 15. 26. And the King of terrours even such a terrour as is the chiefest and greatest of terrours Iob 18. 14. Hence dreadful calamities are set forth by the shadow of dea●h Job 10. 21 22. and 16. 16. and 24. 17. Psal. 23. 4. Ier. 13. 16. and the messengers of death Prov. 16. 14. and the snares sorrows and terrours of death Psal. 18. 4 5. and 55. 4. It is this that snatcheth men when they least think of it from their dear Relations Pleasures Riches Recreations Mansions Honours c. which they love as their lives and this must needs bee terrible to a natural man who hath no assurance of better things when he dyes Hence such are said to be in bond age and a slavish fear of death all their life long Heb. 2. 15. whilst wicked men look upon death at a distance and think it far off they fear it not but when God shall open their eyes by sickness and summon them to appear before him then like Pashur they are Magar-missabib a terrour to themselves and all that are ●ound about them Ier. 20. 3 4. Saul though a King and a 〈◊〉 man yet when hee heard that death was at the door and hee must dye to morrow was so dis-spirited with this dismal news that hee fell into a deadly trance and was not able to bear it the fear of death had well nigh ended him before his death came 1 Sam. 9. 19 20. So Bel●hazzar a mighty Monarch in the height of his mirth is all amort his countenance is changed his thoughts trouble him and his joynts are loosed but whence came all this terrour and amazement why it is for fear of this King of fears Death which suddenly after surprized him Dan. 5. 1 2. c. This puts an end to all a wicked mans comforts and hopes conscience shall now bee awakened and hee must give an account of his Stewardship This made Lewis the eleventh King of France to command his servants in his sickness that they should not once mention that bitter word Death in his hearing Yea even the godly in a temptation for fear of death have not acted like themselves at other times as wee see in three of the greatest-Worthies that wee read of in the Scriptures first Abraham famous for faith Gen. 12. 12 13. 20. 2. 11. And David famous for valour 1 Sam. 22. 12 13. And Peter for courage yet to save his life denied his Lord. 8 Obs. Death is a conquered Enemy Christ h●th disarmed him and taken away his sting Hee hath redeemed his from the power of the grave and swallowed up death in Victory Christ by his death hath destroyed death and him that had the power of death the Devil Heb. 2. 14. by suffering of that death which was due to us for our sins hee hath destroyed the power of Satan and taken away that advantage which hee had against us by reason of sin whose wages is death Satan thought by death to destroy Christ

his cause his people and the spiritual good of you and yours This is to lay up treasures in heaven Get grace that is durable riches which will never leave you and that better part which shall never bee taken from you VERSE 16. Samaria shall become desolate ●or shee hath rebelled against her God they shall fall by the sword their Infants shall bee dashed in peeces and their women with childe shall bee ripped up THis Verse contains the end of the Sermon and ends the Chapter and therefore those Interpreters do ill who make it to begin the next Chapter when this Verse fitly coheres with the precedent Verse there the Prophet shewed how they should bee plundred and lose their goods here hee tells them how they should bee butchered and lose their lives So that the Prophet doth not here begin any new Sermon but onely confirms what hee had spoken before of the destruction of Samaria and the overthrow of the whole Kingdome So that the words are a clear exposition of the former similies and a conclusion of the Sermon Wherein wee have 1 The dismal downfall of Samaria Samaria shall bee made desolate The Prophet labours to awaken them by fore-telling the greatness of their punishment 2 Here is the meritorious cause of this sad destruction viz. her rebellion For shee hath rebelled against her God So that shee hath no cause to complain of God as if hee dealt hardly with her for her own rebellion is the true cause of her destruction and her great provocation hath brought this upon her as the Church in the like case complains Lam. 1. 18. The Lord is righteous in sending sword plague and famine upon us for wee have rebelled against him 3 Here is the Accent or Aggravation of this their Rebellion it was not against man but it was against God yea against her God in Covenant who had been so good and gracious to her both in Temporals and Spirituals yet ●ee most ignominiously casts off him and prefers the Calves before him Hos. 13. 2. 4 Here is set forth the kinde of their destruction or what manner of death they shall dye and that is by the Sword They shall fall by the Sword They shall not onely lose their Treasure and their Land but their Lives also Hee sayes not All shall fall but indefinitly Yee shall fall i. e. many of the Inhabitants of Samaria and of the Kingdome of Israel shall bee slain by the Assyrian 5 The better yet to awaken them out of their security hee sets forth the rage of the Assyrian with its Aggravations and tells them yet further That their children should bee dashed in peeces against the walls and stones and their women with childe should bee ripped up They should not onely dye themselves but their little ones also should perish with them Samaria shall become desolate Samaria was a first a City of Syria built by O●ri King of Israel who bought the hill thereof from Shemer and so from him it was called Samaria 1 King 16. 24. It was the Royal City even the chief City of the Kings of Israel where they kept their Court and had their special residence there they reigned and there they were buried This was the Metropolis and Mother-City All the other Cities of the Kingdome of Israel were called the Daughters of Samaria Ezek. 16. 46 55 In Augustus Caesars time it was called Seb●ste and not long after it was totally ruined And here let it bee noted once for all that when the Prophets speak of the ten Tribes onely sometimes they call them Samaria sometimes Ephraim and sometimes Israel Ioseph Iezreel Bethely Beth-aven but when they speak of the two Tribes they usually do it under the name of Iudah Ierusalem Benjamin and the house of David 2 Samaria was a populous strong well fenced fortified furnished City there were Horses Charrets Arms and Ammunition all things for defence 2 King 10. 1 2. It was every way well prepared to hold out against an enemy as appears by the three years ●iege of that potent enemy which lay against it yet notwithstanding all her fortifications Samaria shall bee made desolate because of her sin Samaria is here put for the Inhabitants of Samaria viz. the Israelites and synecdochically it is put for the whole Kingdome of Israel as distinct from the Kingdome of Iudah The Prophet names onely Samaria because it was the prime City and all the rest were taken before there was none left but Samaria and sin brings down that also This City was twice besieged first by the Syrians in Ahabs time 1 King 20. 1. and 2. 6. 24. and now by the Assyrians Phul and Tiglath-pileser had before molested Israel 2 King 15. 19 29. and now comes Salma neser a third King of Assyria the Church shall never want enemies especially when shee rebels against God hee besieges Samaria in the dayes of Hosh●a the last King of Israel hee takes it and carries the inhabitants into Captivity from which they never returned but were totally rooted up having continued from Ieroboam their first King about two hundred and sixty years about the year of the World 3230 and before Christ about seven hundred years Because shee hath rebelled against her God The Lord had used all means to reclaim them his Spirit had long striven with them in the Ministry of those Prophets which hee had in compassion sent amongst them as Iehu Semaiah Azariah with Elijah Elisha Ioel sonah Amos Micah and specially this our Prophet Hosea how plainly doth hee tell them throughout his Prophecie of their Idolatry Apostacy Ingratitude and of those judgements which were coming on them for those sins yet nothing will work upon them but they persist obstinately in their sins and therefore the Lord resolves to pour out his fury on them Since they had imbittered his soul with their sins Hos. 12. 14. and given him gall who had given them honey and gave him wormwood for his milk therefore he now resolves to send on them bitter punishments They shall fall by the Sword i. e. They shall dye by the Sword so the phrase is frequently taken in Scripture as Lev. 26. 7 8. Numb 14. 3 43. 2 Sam. 1. 12. Psal. 78. 64. Ezek. 5. 12. Hos. 7. 16. Their Infants shall bee dashed in peeces This sets forth the great rage and fury of the barbarous Assyr●ans and withall implies the greatness of Samariaes sin which provoked God to so great wrarh They should spare neither old nor young no mercy should bee shewed to women or children no sex no age should escape unpunished Their little infants and sucklings which usually are spared for their innocency and ignoscency yet now shall bee dashed in peeces Souldiers use to shew mercy to women and children unless they bee sorely provoked the Assyrians had besieged Samaria three years and therefore they dealt the more severely with them Fenced Cities use to hold out long but

us for this sin Let the wise Reader judge If ever that Caution of our Saviour were in season it is now Mat. 10. 17. Beware of men Christ doth not say beware of Serpents or Devils hee promised them power over these Mark 16. 17 18. But Beware of men 1 Beware of wicked men woolfish persecutors and blood-suckers who hate us without a cause Psal. 69. 4. how much more when by our unwise walking wee shall expose our selves to their fury and malice 2 Beware of Hypocrites and seeming good men The Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light and oft ●●●ears in Samuels Mantle the better to deceive hee is never more to bee feared than when such it is this Sanctus Satanas this white Devil that doth us most hurt The swearing cursing black Devil every one cries shame of but it is the preaching praying professing Devil who pretends to extraordinary sanctity and mortification that deceives even many a good soul by its over-much credulity These are more dangerous in some sense to us than the very Devil himself for if the Devil should appear to us in his own likeness and ugly shape wee should run from him for fear no man would hearken to him if the Devil should come in person and call men to the Ale-house or call them from their callings who would obey but when hee comes to us in a friend a wife a bosom-companion c. hee is not so easily perceived and so wee are sooner ensnared and therefore our Saviour doth not say Beware of Satan but Beware of those men who are the Instruments of Satan if they should come like Angels wee should suspect them if like Beasts wee should shun them if like fiends wee should fear them but coming to us like men of the same profession with us and professing great kindness to us how soon are poor plain souls deceived by such and therefore Beware of men for as God loves to work upon men by the Ministry of man and sends them to such So the Devil who is Gods Ape loves to draw men from God by men viz. by seducers and deceivers who are inspired fitted and filled by him for that purpose if Ahab will not hear Micaiah the true Prophet of the Lord the Devil hath four hundred false Prophets at hand to deceive him When hee would seduce Adam from his obedience hee doth not appear himself but hee sets Eve his wife upon him and so prevails When hee would have innocent Abel slain hee doth not do it himself but hee hath a malicious Cain that will do it When the Devil would have Christ crucified hee hath a Iudas a Devil incarnate ready at hand to betray him Iohn 13. 2. 3 Beware of real good men The Devil can shrowd himself under a Peter and tempt our Saviour by him Matth. 16. 23. by his example hee can compel the Gentiles to live after the Jewish manner in observing the Ceremonial Law Gal. 2. 14. The best of men are but men at best they know but in part they have their infirmities and must have their grains of allowance wee may not therefore glory in men nor pin our Faith on their sleeves because wee know not whither they may carry it The great sin of this age is building on man Such a holy man is for a tolleration and such a one holds such opinions what tell you mee of men Wee must live by Rule not by Example neither may wee follow any good man further than hee follows Christ in his Word I Cor. 11. 1. Bee it Paul you must try his Doctrine by the touch-stone of the Word before you trust it Acts 17. 11. Remember every man is a lyar Rom. 3. 4. either actively or passively either by Imposture and of purpose or else by Impotency and in event 4 Beware of great men Wee are apt to bee lead by their examples if Prince such a one or Sir Thomas such a one rise c. how apt are people to follow without any consideration Great men many times are great sinners they have their native corruption heightened by their pomp and prosperity Iob 21. 7 to 15. Ier. 4. 5. When great men are wicked men and have great parts and great wits they do great mischief as Achitophel Catiline c. Beware then of following such great ones 5 Beware of subtil seducers that pretend New-light Gen. 3. 5. Revelations glorious Mysteries c. Rom. 16. 17. but inwardly they are ravening wolves Mat. 7. 15. Poison in it self is dangerous but never more dangerous than when it is mixt with honey These have mens persons in admiration but it is for their own ends and advantage Iude 16. and if ever this Caution were in season it is now when there are so many Juglers and chearers gone forth into the world Their number is greater than formerly and they act more subtilly and mystically they act against Christ under the Name of Christ Mat. 24. 5. and that so cunningly and craftily that if it were possible they would deceive the very Elect Mat. 24. 24. they have Iacob's voice but Esau's hands they talk so divinely as if they had no bodies and live so lewdly as if they had no souls hence it is that wee are so oft admonished to take heed of them Rom. 16. 17. 2 Tim. 3. 5. 2 Iohn 10. Object They cite Scripture Answ. So did the Devil Matth. 4. 6. Object There is some truth in what they say Answ. So there is in the Mass and in Stage-plaies It is the Devils usual practice to mix some sugar with his poison to make it go down the better and to mingle some truths with his errours as the Fowler mingles corn with his chaff that hee may catch the sooner You will shun those that poison your bodies Oh take heed of those that would poison your souls No murder like soul-murder Shun a seducer as you would shun the Devil himself whose factor hee is and when hee speaks fairest and pretends most love then fear him most when Herod intended Christs destruction hee then pretended devotion Matth. 2. 8. When Absolom sought his Fathers Kingdome hee pretends a Vow at Hebron when Saul would mischief David hee makes him his Son-in-Law I Sam. 18. 17. Beware then of men who put fair Gloves upon foul hands who pretend pitty but act cruelty who promise liberty when they intend thraldome Object But they are great Professors Answ. So were those that followed Christ yet hee would not trust them for hee knew the deceit that was in them Ioh. 2. 24 25. All is not gold that glisters nor are all Israel that are of Israel and therefore take heed whom you trust 6 Beware of thy foes Wee are beset round with them and that both corporal and spiritual wee had need therefore to bee sober and watch and to pray with David Help mee O Lord and that because of mine enemies Psal. 27. 11. Many there bee that watch for our halting wee also should

watch and countermine them There is a cursed enmity in the wicked against the righteous Gen. 3. 15. Psal. 37. 4. So that they could even slay them all as Cain did Abel I John 3. 12. because by their light and life they reprove them and this enmity 1 It is Natural and so is constant and delightful 2 It is Intensive As a good man loves good men appretiative intensive affectu effectu with a high degree of affection and shew● it in actions So the wicked hate the godly with an inveterate intensive hatred they could even wish that they had more lives than one that they might exercise their malice on them Antipathy is against the whole kinde they desire that even the name of Israel might bee no more in remembrance 3 It is Irreconcilable Enemies may bee reconciled but enmities never till nature bee changed when Saul is converted and become a Paul then and not till then hee prizeth whom before hee persecuted 7 Beware of thy Frien ds and Relations By these the Devil oft-times doth us more hurt than by our open enemies and therefore when one was praying Lord deliver mee from my foes Nay said one that heard him rather pray Lord deliver mee from my friends Wee usually shun our foes and take heed of their counsel but it is the Devil in a friend that undoes us The Italian Proverb is God keep mee from the hurt of my friends and I will see to my foes Object It is my wife that perswades mee and shall I not hearken to her Answ. If thy wife give thee good counsel according to the word then in all that Sarah shall say unto thee hearken to her voyce else you must stop your ears against those Sirens How many wives have deluded their husbands and drawn their hearts from God Adam by hearkning to Eve undid himself and all his posterity Solomon was besotted by his Idolatrous wives Sampson betrayed by Dalilah and Iob had undone himself had hee hearkned to his wives wicked counsel Iob 2. 9. Object It is my son my brother my kinsman that counsels mee Answ. Even these may deceive you if you take not heed A mans enemes are those of his own house What the Scripture speaks in case of persecution is most true in case of temptation brother shall betray brother the father the childe and children shall rise against the father Matth. 10. 21. 36. Even Christs brethren rose against him Ioh. 7. 5. and the Iews that were his kinsmen according to the flesh were so fiercely set against him that they preferred Barrabbas a Robber before him and sought to stone him Matth. 26. 20. Ioh. 11. 8. Thus Cain slew his brother Ishmael persecutes Isaac Esau Iacob and Iosephs brethren sell him So that if ever that counsel also were in season it is now Micah 7. 5. Trust not in a friend put no confidence in a guide keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome why so for the son dishonours the father the daughter riseth against the mother wee may adde the servant against his Master the subject against his superiour c. 8 Beware of Strangers Try men before you trust them Time discovers mens tempers the heart of man is so deeply deceitful that it requires some time to know it and if it bee not safe to trust Relations much less strangers Hypocrisie is spun with a fine thread and none are so soon deceived as the over-credulous and therefore Solomon so oft blames men for trusting strangers Prov. 5. 20. and 6. 1 2. Christs sheep will not f●llow strangers Ioh. 10. 5. 9 Above all take heed of that evil man thy self It is a secret subtil daily deadly bosome enemy which doth us most mischief wee our selves are the sorest enemies to our selves Inimicorum pessimus quia proximus all the Devils in hell and all the men in the world could not hurt us if wee were but true to ourselves It was a good prayer of St. Austin Lord deliver mee from that evil man my self The way to conquer Satan is first to conquer our selves This is the highest and hardest Martyrdome to deny our selves universally Let us then walk wisely in this day of Englands trial remembring that the Scripture calls wicked men Wolves for ravening Dogs for greediness Lions for cruelty and Foxes for subtilty Any of these creatures when inraged are terrible and wee will take heed of them but when the cruelty and subtilty of all these creatures shall concenter and meet in man how great is the danger and how had wee need to beware of men especially when they come with fair pretences and with fine words parget over foul matters 2 Pet. 2. 3. calling Pride Decency Errour New-lights Hypocrisie extraordinary sanctity Hereticks the servants of God c The Devil knows that if sin should appear in its own proper colours men would hate it so ugly and loathsome it is If Ieroboam had told Israel plainly they must worship Devils when they worshipped the Calves who would have followed him 5 They were full of Pride Hos. 5. 5. and 7. 10. The pride of Israel doth testifie to his face They were proud of their riches and proud of their buildings and therefore the Lord threatens to smite the Winter-house with the Summer-house which they had built for Pride and Pleasure Amos 3. ult And is not this Englands sin Was there ever more pride in heart in habit in hair in vestures gestures words and works And doth not pride ever go before destruction and a high minde before a fall But of this elsewhere at large 6 Hypocrisie abounded amongst them they were like a deceitful bow that breaks and deceives the Archer they compassed the Lord about with their Iyes crying My father my father howling before him in their misery when alas their righteousness was but as the morning dew which suddenly vanisheth away Hos. 5. 6. and 6. 4. and 8. 2. and 7. 14 16. and 11. 12. 2 King 17. 9. This made the Lord to reject and abhor both them and their services Amos 5. 21 22. And how doth this sin reign in England from Dan to Beersheba from East to West from one corner of the Land to another Never was the Land so full of praying and preaching Lectures Repetitions Private-meetings c. and never such unmortified unholy unrighteous unanswerable walking to those duties This abuse and prophanation of holy things makes the Land to tremble under us Ezek. 22. 8. The Land is full of Science but where oh where is the conscience The Voyce is Iacobs Voyce but the hands are the hands of Esau. Many talk like Angels but live like Devils they talk as if they had cloven Tongues but walk as if they had cloven feet Most amongst us live directly contrary to their prayers They pray against pride and yet their pride is visible They pray against worldly-mindedness and yet they are notoriously worldly They pray for self-denial and yet